Human Farming Plan

On the observation deck atop the Hokage Rock, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the village below.

Shiraishi stood behind Hiruzen, feeling that this Third Hokage and Danzo were truly a match made in heaven.

Before his reincarnation, Danzo had argued with Hiruzen in the Hokage's office, only to run up to this observation deck to make his final decision.

After his reincarnation, Hiruzen and Danzo had argued at the hospital, and he, too, had run up to this observation deck.

"Shiraishi, how is your progress with the Spirit Transformation Technique?" Hiruzen turned to look at Shiraishi.

Shiraishi looked at Hiruzen, said nothing, and immediately began his demonstration.

Shiraishi did not know the hand seals for the Spirit Transformation Technique, so he mimicked the First Hokage's style, clapped his hands together, and sent his Yin Spirit out of his body.

Shiraishi's Yin Spirit flew out from the top of his head, hovering in the air above his physical form, looking down at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen looked up at Shiraishi's spirit body and nodded slightly in satisfaction.

"Very well, return now!" Hiruzen said.

Upon hearing this, just as Shiraishi's Yin Spirit prepared to return to his body, his spiritual sense was triggered. He vaguely sensed a peculiar existence, much like the ghost spirit space within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, though it lacked a certain degree of resentment.

Shiraishi remained calm on the surface, acting as if nothing had happened as his Yin Spirit returned to his body.

Seeing Shiraishi's spirit body return and his eyes reopen, Hiruzen continued: "Shiraishi, I have a mission for you."

Shiraishi looked at Hiruzen, waiting for the details of the mission.

"From today on, you need not execute missions for Root. You only need to secretly monitor the Third Hokage, keep an eye on his every move, and report to me the moment you discover anything," Hiruzen commanded.

Hearing the content of the mission, Shiraishi felt a strange urge to laugh.

Danzo had ordered him to hide within Root and keep an eye on Hiruzen, and now Hiruzen was ordering him to secretly monitor Danzo.

These two really did think of everything in the same way.

"Understood! Lord Danzo," Shiraishi replied.

"You may leave now; I wish to stay here alone for a while," Hiruzen said finally.

"Yes," Shiraishi responded, turning to leave.

Shiraishi's current identity was that of a Root ninja. As the most secretive and brutal organization in all of Konoha, the benefits for Root ninjas were actually quite good.

Free housing, a high salary, and permission to exchange for a vast array of ninjutsu were all perks exclusive to Root ninjas.

Danzo was able to keep a firm grip on Root not just through harsh management and brainwashing, but because these basic material guarantees were indispensable.

When Shiraishi possessed this body, he not only devoured the original soul but also obtained detailed identity records from Danzo.

Therefore, Shiraishi was very familiar with the life trajectory and basic social relationships of this body.

Descending from the observation deck, Shiraishi did not wander around; he returned directly to his apartment, located just outside the core area of the village, roughly in the second ring.

Shiraishi's room was on the fifth floor of the apartment building. It was a one-bedroom unit of just over fifty square meters. The space was not large, but the renovation was decent, and it was more than enough for one person.

These apartments were public property of Konoha. Only Jonin, or ninjas from Root and Anbu, could apply for free residency. Ordinary Genin and Chunin could queue to apply for low-rent housing; it was considered a benefit provided by the village for registered ninjas.

Back home, Shiraishi took off his mask and tossed it onto the shoe cabinet. Walking barefoot on the wooden floor, he went to the living room and sat cross-legged on a cushion.

The spiritual sensation he had felt when his Yin Spirit left his body earlier reminded him of some intelligence regarding the world of Naruto.

The world of Naruto possessed a soul world similar to the underworld; this could be seen from Kakashi's conversation with his father upon his death, as well as the plot after Obito's death.

However, after most ninjas in this world died, some due to obsession and others for various reasons, their souls did not head to the afterlife but remained in the gap between life and death.

That was also where the soul and chakra of the Sage of Six Paths resided.

From a conspiracy theory perspective, it was hard not to suspect that the large number of ninja souls carrying chakra lingering in the gap between life and death was the handiwork of the Sage of Six Paths.

A thousand years ago, the Sage of Six Paths shared the seeds of chakra with the world, establishing the Ninshu and allowing the power of chakra to spread rapidly across the globe.

From the practitioners of the Ninshu to the ninjas of later generations, these beings who mastered chakra would, upon death, take their souls and chakra to that gap between life and death.

With such development and accumulation, wasn't the gap between life and death where the Sage of Six Paths resided just a massive energy station and hall of heroes?

If Shiraishi's speculation was correct, then the methods of this Sage of Six Paths were indeed far more sophisticated than those of his mother. Compared to the barbaric plundering of the God Tree, the Sage of Six Paths utilized the rules of the cycle of life and death to accumulate power while achieving coexistence with the living.

Shiraishi had considered such an approach back in his previous life in the world of cultivation. When he secretly incited peasant uprisings and supported the establishment of a new dynasty, he planned to use his status as a national advisor to promote the development of productivity, allowing the land's output to support more people and rapidly increase the country's population.

As the population grew, the number of people dying each year would naturally increase, and the number of souls Shiraishi could obtain would naturally increase as well.

These souls, whether they died of old age or accidents, might not have been as resentful as those who died tragically in war, but they were of no small use for Shiraishi's cultivation, especially the condensation of his Dharma Body.

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes. The new dynasty Shiraishi had helped establish had just been founded when his identity was exposed due to the lightning tribulation brought on by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, forcing him to self-detonate his Golden Core and transmigrate to the world of Naruto.

However, this could be considered a blessing in disguise. Although Shiraishi's strength was greatly diminished and his spirit damaged due to the Golden Core self-detonation, he had gained a new, independent world.

Stirring up war in the world of Naruto was the first step in Shiraishi's plan. After the war, establishing a unified new nation, promoting the development of technology and productivity, and achieving an explosive growth in population was the second part of Shiraishi's plan.

The former was a one-time deal that could help Shiraishi harvest a massive number of souls to quickly recover his injuries and cultivation.

The latter was a steady, long-term income, vital for the resource consumption of Shiraishi's subsequent cultivation.

Shiraishi dubbed this plan the Human Farming Plan. While these people were alive, he would do his best to help them build a peaceful and advanced nation, providing a comfortable living environment.

In exchange, Shiraishi would take their souls after they died.

Such a trade was fair enough, right?

Therefore, the world of Naruto was already viewed by Shiraishi as his own field. Any existence that might threaten his plan was his enemy and had to be eliminated.

Now, Shiraishi had discovered a treasure vault that had been accumulating for a thousand years, an existence that might compete with him.

This forced Shiraishi to focus more of his energy on it.

Shiraishi had already decided to start with the Impure World Reincarnation, which could summon the souls of the dead into reality, and use it to peer into that space between life and death.